Deep Within the Heart
by fuzzyhamsta123
Summary: At first, Harry is delivered to the Dark Lord with the set intent of getting killed. But at the moment before Harry’s death, an unexpected and unusual idea comes to Voldemort: an attempt to “play” the prophecy. A Dark Harry fanfic. This is my first write.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter nor any other of the familiar characters in the series.

Chapter 1: A Future Rewritten

The usual chattering and conversation was not present at Godric's Hollow this evening. In fact, if anything, it was deathly silent. The once livid living room was now tainted with a gloomy feeling that lingered in the air. To back up the tense situation, debris littered the floor from a short fight that had just taken place. Amidst the broken glass and upturned tables, the unconscious forms of James and Lily Potter laid on the ground.

Wormtail stood at the entrance of the living room trying to calm his heart which was thumping wildly in his chest. He couldn't believe he had actually done it. He had betrayed his friends that he had been so fond of, the only people who actually cared for him, on the Dark Lord's orders. He looked on his friends with feelings of hurt and regret. He really didn't want this to happen, but there wasn't much of a choice. If the Dark Lord's orders weren't carried out, Wormtail would have had to suffer from his Lord's wrath which may lead to a terrible death. Wormtail shuddered at this thought. He never remembered what made him joined Voldemort in the first place. Just after one day with him, he wanted out. But then already was too late.

Wormtail cut off his thoughts and remembered what he came for. He eyed the stairs and stumbled clumsily up the steps leading to Harry's room. He slowly opened the door to the bedroom and walked over to the crib where Harry's form lay soundly asleep. As he reached out to lift the child, a feeling of guilt swept over him. He was leading an innocent child to his death, and even worse, his friend's child. Wormtail hesitated for a moment, but quickly tried to suppress his feelings. He had already gotten too far to turn back. No, this wasn't a choice; the boy had to go. Taking Harry with him, Wormtail hurried out the front door and left his former friends behind forever.

Wormtail ran until he was outside of the wards and apparated to his Lord's Manor. Within seconds, he appeared in front of the Riddle House, or more appropriately, Riddle Castle.

Wormtail pushed past the main doors and entered a grand hall. Although it was dully lit and a rather spooky feeling hung about, it seemed magnificent in size and architect. From there, he walked down a hallway and weaved through the corridors before coming to a stop at the door to his Lord's chamber. After a few timid knocks, a voice sounded from within the room commanding him to come in. Wormtail entered timorously and placed Harry onto the cold floor before the Dark Lord.

"My Lord, I have done what you've asked of me. This is Harry, my Lord," Wormtail bowed down at Voldemort's feet humbly.

"Rise, Wormtail. For once, you haven't disappointed me and have actually managed to finish your task. I shall reward you later."

The Dark Lord waved him aside and stepped closer towards Harry, taking a long inquisitive look at him. Harry had just stirred from his sleep and cracked open his emerald green eyes. Spying Voldemort, he giggled naively. Voldemort looked on with disgust. If anything, the child should be intimidated, not amused. And even more, this silly child lying in front of him was prophesized to be the cause of his downfall. If Snape hadn't overheard the prophecy word for word, he would have never believed a _Potter_ would be "the one".

Voldemort drew his wand. Whether or not he wanted to believe it, he had to accept it. Wormtail watched this silently in the background. He couldn't help but feel a horrible sensation of guilt rush over him. Hel closed his eyes as he couldn't look on any further.

'Sorry James. Lily, forgive me,' he thought while bracing himself to hear the cursed words that would end Harry's life.

Wormtail waited a minute, and then another minute, but the curse never came. Wondering what was wrong, he cautiously opened his eyes a slit and saw his Lord lower his wand. 'He's going to let him live?' Wormtail thought puzzled by his Master's actions.

Voldemort reached over and lifted Harry off the ground. An idea had suddenly sprung to him the second before he was about to kill him. Voldemort looked into Harry's bright green eyes and felt somewhat captivated by them. 'Very Slytherin,' he thought. That was when he decided that he wasn't going to kill Harry, but raise him to become his heir. He was going to bond Harry with the Dark side. Harry was going to murder on his command.

Voldemort smirked, a hint of amusement lingering in his blood shot eyes. The Light side's "savior" would turn to be the one to destroy them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** You know the routine.

**Chapter 2: A Road Less Traveled**

James slumped wearily onto one of the many couches in the Ministry's sitting room. He had just finished a long and very disheartening meeting with the Order. James sighed. It seemed as though every meeting lately had disturbing news to share. This particular meeting concerned the sudden increase in killings recently, no doubt a work of Voldemort's. The peculiar thing was that the main group of people who had been targeted were his very own Death Eaters. James leaned back against the cushion and pondered over this idea. The only logical reason behind this would be that these Death Eaters must've betrayed him in some sort of way. The Ministry had no idea whatsoever on who carried out these killings, but it knew they were all by the same person.

James rubbed his eyes tiredly and wanted badly to go to sleep, but his day was far from over. In just a few moments, he was going to join Minister Fudge to a talk with the infamous Skeith Collings. This Death Eater was now rather a target of You-Know-Who. He happened to know some very interesting facts about the Dark Lord which had put him on the hit-list. Collings had come to the Ministry to trade in this knowledge for protection against You-Know-Who, or more specifically, You-Know-Who's assassin.

'Typical Death Eater,' James thought. These types of traitors who run wherever protection lies are the ones both sides are out to get.

'Maybe we should just let the assassin do us all a favor and finish them off.' A sly smile crept onto James' face. His smile faltered however, when he spied the clock on the ceiling. It was several minutes past the time the conference was to begin. He imagined Fudge's angry pose lecturing him on the responsibility of getting on time and cringed. 'This is certainly going to be a long meeting,' he thought miserably.

James quickly hurried out of the sitting room and made for the elevators. He entered a lift and pressed the button to go up to the 14th floor. When he arrived on the proper floor level and made to get out, a heavy shoulder battered into him sending a jolt of pain through his nerves. James turned around to see who had hit him and came face to face with his longtime enemy and envier, Wells Brewer. Brewer was an arrogant man who hated James for being held in a higher position in the Ministry. Even from their days at Hogwarts, James had been better than him in almost every way, a fact which Brewer despised to no end.

Brewer snickered at the sight of James clutching his shoulder. James clenched his teeth and was trying really hard not to deck him one.

"Look here Brewer, I don't have time to fight with you right now. But if you try this again, I'll make sure your Auror postion is degraded down several ranks, that is if you can degrade anymore," James spoke this while giving him a long stare implying that he take his word for it. James then turned away leaving the bulky man behind him twitching with rage.

"So you really think your threats can scare me, dont you? This isn't the end Potter...far from it!" Brewer hissed back menacingly. He made himself a promise to get back at James if it was the last thing he did.

James had heard this reply, but merenly shrugged it off. He knew Brewer couldn't do any real harm to him. James also knew that Brewer knew all too well that he could manage to bump him down to the lowest rank if he decided to report him for several past crimes he had committed. 'He would really be done then,' James thought.

Several corridors later, James came to a stop at a door. He hurriedly straightened out his collar and checked the rest of his attire. Once Fudge was on a rant, he would find the smallest details to get enraged over.

James turned the doorknob bracing himself for a lecture or so, but instead saw a scene that was certainly not the one he prepared for.

The room was a complete, utter mess. There were upturned furniture and broken possessions scattered across the floor. It seemed as if a tornado had torn through the area. In a corner of the room, the unconscious body of Minister Fudge leaned against the wall with a growing pool of blood near his head. James nearly gasped at this sight, but his shock was quickly changed to another reason. There, in the center of the room, Collings laid on his back with the palest expression on his face. Even from a distance, James knew all too well he was dead.

His eyes quickly darted over to the figure standing over the body, his wand still held loosely in hand. The person had on a long black cloak and a white mask that covered all of his face except his eyes; he was Voldemort's killer no doubt. James whipped out his wand quickly. The most wanted villain next to Voldemort, who the Ministry was desperately trying to track, was right under its roof! James seemed a bit dazed at this thought. 'How was it possible that he had gotten in without raising any alarms?' The Ministry was heavily coated in security spells and it would have taken a wonder to deactivate them.

The assassin lifted his gaze from the body and turned towards James. His emerald green eyes peered into James' hazel ones. James was quite startled by this. He had never seen eyes with such an intensity of green before. They had also brought along a sense of familiarity with them. He almost looked like someone he knew…

James quickly snapped out of his trance when he saw his rival make a sudden move toward an open window. James rushed after him and shouting "Stupefy!" The cloaked figure spun around and threw up a full-body shield conjured so wonderfully, it almost took James' breath away. James was a bit surprised by this ability his rival possessed. But after all, he was one of You-Know-Who's most skilled fighters. He quickly recovered from his partial shock, and tried again.

"Stupefy…Carnesto!"

The two spells came zooming towards the assassin from two different directions. This time, the assassin dodged both spells by moving aside at such an incredible speed, he appeared to be a blur. James felt his jaw slacken and gaped at the wonder standing in front of him. 'How in the name of Merlin does he do this?' James had never been more amazed. He never did recover from his shock quick enough, since a jet of blue light hit James square in the chest before he even realized it. James was lifted off his feet and landed on his back several paces away. The pain exploded inside James causing him to let out a soft cry.

"You really do need to learn when to give up, Potter. Next time, it could prove fatal for you," the cloaked figure hissed.

James was taken aback, not from the threat the killer just made, but from the fact that he knew his name. He was even more shocked to find that the assassin's voice was that of a boy's. Surely, he couldn't have been over a mere fifteen or sixteen years of age.

James tried not to let the pain bother him, and got to his feet just in time to see his rival climb out of the window. He hurried clumsily over to the window with a hand clasped onto his back hoping he could still catch the killer in time. After all, no normal wizard, not to mention a mere boy, could fall from 14 floors above and expect to land on his feet. But for that matter, this boy was nothing but ordinary. As James began scanning the vast world outside the building, his hope faltered and he knew it was all too late. The mysterious figure had long disappeared.

James weakly leaned himself against a wall letting what just took place sink into him. Voldemort's assassin was a boy! And he was already outdueling people three times his age, not to mention murdering even. James was also thoroughly disappointed at the idea that he had managed to escape him without so much of a scratch. Of course, after seeing the breath-taking skills the boy had shown, you could hardly blame him, but James still felt as if he could've stopped him. This boy could prove a lot of trouble for the wizarding world if not caught soon.

He let out a deep breath and turned around to leave. The Order would want to know about this as soon as possible.

Just as he took a step outside the doorway, a faint groan coming from a corner in the room caught his attention. Fudge was lying against the wall in his critically injured state. 'Merlin!' James thought as panic struck him. In all this frenzy, he had completely forgotten about the Minister. Shaking himself from shock for hopefully the last time within that hour, he rushed to get help.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bella was pacing back and forth in the Main Hall of the Riddle Manor. Her hands were positioned at her waist and her head was raised towards the ceiling. Her face appeared to show a hint of worry and concern. Every so often, she glanced at the main door, anxiously awaiting the arrival of someone.

"He should be here soon...Shouldn't have been any obstacles...Hopefully he got to Collings before the Ministry did," Bella muttered her worries to herself.

Voldemort stood in the background watching the female Death Eater, a small smile creeping onto his face. Bella wasn't at all what he expected to be one to feel concern for others, but it was apparent how much she cared for the boy. He himself had also managed to become quite attached to him, although it was initially not part of the plan. Voldemort had always prided the fact that he did not concern himself with emotions like 'Care' and 'Affection', but ever since Harry had come, Harry had managed to find himself a spot inside his empty heart.

"Bella, I do suppose you've become quite fond of the boy," Voldemort said as he emerged from the shadows. He was trying to hold back a smile at the surprised look on Bella's face as she turned around to face him.

"My Lord…I…," she stammered all the while kneeling before him.

"Rise, Bella. I am certain Harry will be here soon. Maybe you should concern yourself on matters that need to be worried about."

Bella's face flushed slightly.

"Yes Master. I'll be leaving now," she said as she made to exit the room.

Just then, the main door flew open and Harry strode in. He stopped shortly in front of Voldemort and pulled his mask away revealing his dazzling smile. Voldemort couldn't help but beam at the sight of his son. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he truly did feel affection towards him.

"It is done, Father. I have evened your score with Collings."

He spoke this all the while staring deeply into Voldemort's ruby eyes which were now shining with pride. Voldemort never did have doubts about Harry completing his missions, since Harry had never failed him once before. After all, he was training with the Dark Lord himself ever since he could utter a word. Before the early age of twelve, Harry had already matured into the same body and mind of that of an adult. By then, Harry could already compete with and outduel nearly all of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters.

'Why do I ever put up with these incompetent excuses for wizards?' the Dark Lord often thought of the Death Eaters. There hadn't been a single one yet hat hadn't failed him at least a couple of times.

Voldemort placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Son, I think you should go to your room and rest now. You've had quite a day," he said with a hint of affection. He knew Harry was tired from his mission today.

"Yes, father." Harry's emerald eyes glistened slightly while he looked into his father's eyes. His father really did care for him and the look of affection on his face was the one he had always craved for.

Harry left the main hall and headed to his room.

Bella excused herself as well, her face relaxed now that she knew Harry had returned safely.

Harry's room was located in a secluded area of the Riddle Manor. Voldemort had been trying to keep Harry's existance a secret from the world--including his Death Eaters--in order to keep Harry safe. If the word ever got out that the Dark Lord had a son, people would be searching for him to no end, and Harry being a boy, wouldn't be able to protect himself very well. Most of the Death Eaters, on the other hand, were hoping they could get their Lord's powers passed down to them and would stop at nothing to get it, so it wouldn't have been wise to inform them of Harry's existence. It wasn't until very recently when the Dark Lord decided Harry was ready and able to protect himself, did he let out the information. The wizarding world would have to find out sooner or later.

Harry opened the door to his chamber. It was a magnificent room that contained nearly everything he could want. Harry strode over to his closet and opened the door. He stepped into a large room lined with clothes on either side. Harry picked out a pair of casual red robes to repace the black ones he used on his missions. He took off his robe to reveal his bare chest on which a pendant was resting on. The pendant was of a deep silver colour. A design of a large snake with deep green eyes was imprinted onto it. The emerald green had always fascinated Harry since it reminded him so much of the his eyes. This pendant was given to him by Voldemort just a day ago. Harry stroked the pendant lightly as he remembered the fond memory.

_Voldemort was sitting on his throne in a private chamber. In his hand, he held the silver pendant while beckoning Harry to come closer to him. _

_"This, son, is a pendant from our great ancestor Slazatar Slytherin. It is a status of the Slytherin heir of which you, of all people, deserve," Voldemort said while watching Harry's face beam with pride. A warm feeling crept into him and and he gave the most genuine smile you could expect from the Dark Lord. Voldemort continued: _

_"It also contains a piece of my soul, Harry, and I am sure you will keep it well." Voldemort believed Harry would protect it well. He was truly worthy of such an honor. He became slightly unsettled, however, when he saw Harry's smile falter. _

_"But father, what if it were to be damaged in battle or someone were to take it from me?" Harry questioned, a bit nervous that he was given such an important duty._

_"There is an unbreakable spell that has been placed on this pendant that allows only you or I to take it off. No amount of force can remove it from you," the Dark Lord finished as the worry lifted from Harry's face. He slipped the pendant over Harry's neck which rested gently on his chest. The moment the pendant was on, the Dark Lord knew it was destined to belong there. It almost seemed a part of Harry now. Harry held the pendant in his hand for a long moment before looking back into the Dark Lord's red eyes._

_"I will protect it well, father. No one will ever get ahold of it."_

Harry returned from his flashback of the meeting. This was one memory that would always stay alive in him. His father had trusted him so much as to give him a part of his soul. Just the thought of this would send comfort into Harry.

Harry stepped out of his closet with his red robes in hand and headed towards the bathing room. His body was sore from his task today and he was aching for a good wash. He turned on the water to a medium-high and climbed into his Jacuzzi. He felt the air around him slowly transform into steam from the warm water that was slowly filling the tub. Harry laid his back against a wall of the tub and let the rushing water massage his back. This was one of the few things he looked forward to everyday. He waited for the water level to come just below his shoulders before turning it off. Harry stretched out his limbs felt his muscles loosen up. He leaned back a little more before closing his eyes.

'Life is good,' Harry thought with a smile as his mind drifted off and a light sleep overtook him.


End file.
